A mob beat up and burnt a 28-year-old man alive accusing him of killing a security guard and stabbing two others, including a 5-year-old boy, in Birganj upazila of the district early yesterday.

The killings took place beside Dinajpur-Panchagarh highway at Purba Jagdal village, police said.

The security guard was Suruz Ali, 40, son of Abul Kashem and the man killed by villagers was Rabiul Islam, 28, son of Tara Mia. They were residents of Purba Jagdal village.

Hamidul Alam, superintendent of police in Dinajpur, told the reporters Suruz was stabbed to death while he was working near the highway early in the morning. Another security guard Shahid Hossain, 35, and his  son Ekramul Haque, 5, were stabbed at Haatkhola area soon afterwards.

As the news spread, angry villagers blocked the highway at Purba Jagdal around 6.00am, causing long tailbacks on the road, he said.

The SP added that Rabiul seemed to have mental instability and evidence suggested he stabbed the three persons.

Action will be taken against the villagers who killed him, he said.

Shakila Parveen, officer-in-charge of Birganj Police Station, said some villagers caught Rabiul with a sharp weapon within an hour at Gorerhat and took him back to Purba Jagdal area while others vandalised his house.

The villagers found bloodstained clothes in his house.

The villagers then beat Rabiul up and burnt him to death, said Chan Mia, a resident of the area.

Large numbers of police were deployed in the area after police and fire fighters reached the scene around 9:00am and brought the situation under control.

The OC said Rabiul was accused of drug abuse and robbery in multiple cases.

Police sent the bodies to Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital for autopsy.